1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to an electric apparatus including a male terminal to be electrically connected to a female terminal of another electric apparatus by being slid with respect to the female terminal.
2. Background Art
In electric power tools of recent years, a battery pack for an electric power tool, which is also referred to as only a battery pack, is used as a power source for the electric power tool. When an amount of charge becomes low, the battery pack is removed from a tool main body by sliding the battery pack and then charged by a dedicated charger. After the charging is completed by the dedicated charger, the battery pack is attached again to the tool main body by sliding the battery pack with respect to the tool main body. Occasionally, such battery packs may be used via a dedicated adapter when used as a power source for the electric power tool. Hereinafter, the tool main body, the dedicated charger, and the adapter to which the battery pack is attached are referred to collectively as “electric apparatus”.
An electrical connection of the battery pack with respect to the electric apparatus can be made by inserting a male terminal provided on the electric apparatus into a female terminal provided on the battery pack. In more detail, for example, the female terminal provided on the battery pack is configured such that metallic terminals of the female terminal are arranged so as to oppose each other, and the male terminal is inserted between the metallic terminals of the female terminal, so that the female terminal and the male terminal are electrically connected to each other. Furthermore, the male terminal provided on the electric apparatus is configured to have a plate shape which can be pinched and/or held between the female terminal as described above. The male terminal having the plate shape extends in a sliding direction to allow insertion of the male terminal into the female terminal. The metallic terminals of the female terminal, which are arranged so as to oppose each other, come into contact with the male terminal by pinching the male terminal by an elastic force. An energization state, i.e. an electrically connected state, between the male terminal and the female terminal can be achieved by this contact. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-42672 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-230553 disclose the configurations as described above.
Regarding the female and male terminals described above, there are cases where oxidized films may be formed by energization on surfaces of the female terminal and the male terminal. Such oxidized films may cause interruption of the energization between the female terminal and the male terminal. Therefore, removal of the oxidized films such formed may be desired as much as possible. However, if such removal of the oxidized films needs to be performed by an individual user, an excessive burden on the user may be increased for managing the tool, and there may arise a complicated work, which may be troublesome for the user.
Thus, there is a need in the art to provide an electric apparatus (electric power tools, electric operating machines, chargers, and adapters) having a male terminal to be electrically connected to a female terminal by being slid with respect to the female terminal, in which oxidized films formed on the surfaces of the female terminal can be removed without increasing a burden on the user for managing the electric apparatus.